An Innocent Soul's Reprieve
by AYangThang
Summary: A fledgling romance begins between Ruby and Oscar, all with the help of the meddling headmaster trapped in Oscar's head.
1. Chapter 1

**AYangThang:** After today's episode of terrible writing Yuri is just not in me at this moment in time. Soooo, have this completely unrelated pairing instead...

 **An Innocent Soul's Reprieve  
Chapter 1**

She was cute, spunky, wise…

There was a lot to like about her. She spoke with a soft and candid response that could toe the border of bluntness without being rude about it. Emotionally, she was something else entirely. Something he didn't have a word for, and his young mind twisted around these ideals. The stirrings of something new and uncanny coiled within him. Oscar had never once had the time to let his eyes wander over a pretty girl in his life until now…and fawn over her he did, even as his body warred with him.

It wasn't as if she was scantily clad, or anything of the sort. In fact, he was thankful that Ruby seemed more aware of the other people around her, coming out of the shower covered in at least something more than a towel. Clad in the same outfit she always wore, she dried her hair, chatting with Nora idly about ways to push themselves further along in their training.

Nora's ideas, as always, were impossible to achieve. Jaune warned them as such, but Ruby, amazing girl she was, laughed along with Nora's crazy plans anyway.

Her smile called to him, the radiance of it probably an almost impossible burden to carry on its own. He wanted to reach up and caress it away. Ask her how she truly felt, and see once again the tormented soul he knew rested underneath the surface. The night he saw her cry, was the pinpoint accurate moment when he realized he wanted to understand that pain. To drag it out of her and throw it away…but he couldn't do that, and such a helpless feeling made him only desire her all the more.

 _"_ _She is quite magnificent, isn't she…?"_

"Shut up." Oscar growled, slamming his eyes closed and cramming another spoonful of breakfast into his mouth as the others at the table drew their attention towards him.

Ruby smiled, letting the bath towel fall from around her dark tresses, offering him a kind smile. He blushed and looked away, Nora wiggling her eyebrows teasingly at the young male among them. Ren, however, seemed to take sympathy on his plight, distracting Nora with another pancake painstaking prepared strictly for her enjoyment. Then, they all went back to discussing their training for the day.

Oscar let his eyes fall back onto the woman he admired, mentally berating himself for doing so. It was wrong to look at her that way, or so he felt.

 _"_ _There is nothing wrong with taking an interest in a pretty girl."_

Oscar suspected that was true. There was nothing wrong with liking someone. However, that did nothing for the unwanted reaction his body handed to him as a result of that admiration. He ignored the much older male trapped in his head. It was all he could do, since Ozpin was stuck there and couldn't leave. Shoving oatmeal into his mouth, he tried to mentally force his erection to subside in any way he could without drawing attention to the table.

The long winded, seemingly amused sigh in his head was not his own. The words that came next, he dreaded to hear.

 _"_ _I do understand your situation, you know. It's every young man's plight to come across something that intrigues him eventually. No matter what that intrigue may be, he will always be drawn to his curiosities. If that curiosity happens to be a woman, well, let's just say, I'd consider that rather normal…healthy even…unwanted reaction included."_

"I know that, okay!" He stood up and yelled, slamming his napkin on the table and storming off in the direction of the room he had been given. He had been rooming with Qrow, but the man was out now and would be for some time. By himself, he could finally sit down in his bed and curse without people looking at him. He could feel the ache he knew well when he left himself unattended, but dealing with it was not something he wanted to do.

 _"_ _You do realize we are connected, don't you? I feel what you do, as I do inhabit your body. So, you can sit there and continue to hate yourself for it, or, you could choose to do something about the matter."_

"Just go away." Oscar murmured weakly.

It was a moment later when a knock came to the door, and with a grown of annoyance, he opened it to find Ren standing on the other side, a rolled up magazine in his hand still fresh in a plastic wrapper. The docile man cleared his throat, simply holding out the reading material. "You'll have to excuse the girls. We've been on the road a long time. Modesty is a commodity, and though we do try to preserve it, the facts of life are simple enough."

Oscar took the offered pornographic reading for what it was. A peace offering of sorts, but he had no intention fo reading it as he thanked Ren and closed the door behind him, throwing himself on the bed with an annoyed grunt. He was going crazy, he just knew it.

* * *

He dreamed about her sometimes.

He didn't mean to do so, he certainly didn't want to explain the days he skipped out on breakfast simply because he couldn't bear to look at the woman who had captured his heart…or the very least the rather dirty part of his mind. He had been raised to respect women, and though he knew his reaction to Ruby had to be normal, he still doubted it was respectful.

He couldn't even look at her without wondering what her hair would feel like woven between his fingertips. He couldn't stop his eyes from lingering a little too long on her lips, wondering if they were as soft as they looked. He never dared to let his eyes linger over her breasts, he refused to stare at her hips. Yet, the primal part of his mind told him those areas were important too. He remembered his aunt once tittering on with the farmer's wives. Talking about childrearing hips, and the yeilding form a woman was sopposed to have when in an embrace with a man.

His aunt had even spoken to him about romance at great length. All sorts of things he found to be nonsense at the time. Put into perspective though, he had indeed wondered what it would be like to place him palms on her hips and hold her close to him that way….to feel her entire body pressed to his.

It was then he made a very unhappy realization. He knew exactly what to do with a woman, and yet, he knew nothing at the same time. He should have never had the slightest clue…but then again, he did share his mind, body, and thoughts, with the man in his head. Ozpin had live many lives, it was no wonder if he had a girlfriend or two in all of those lifetimes.

Oscar growled to himself. That was no reason to further allow his mind to wander. Ruby was too good for him, anyway.

 _"_ _Women do not like that…"_

"Like what?"

 _"_ _As a rule, making choices for another person tends to be an insult. Women should be allowed to decide for themselves who is, or isn't, too good for them. Do not get me wrong, this is no time for you to be starting on with a fledgling romance. However, to presume her feelings on the matter, or any matter, is a scatterbrained idea that will only result in travesty."_

"Then what in the hell should I do?" Oscar groused.

 _"_ _That is for you to decide."_

"She isn't going to like a guy like me." Oscar pointed out. "I have an old fart, who used to be her headmaster, trapped in my head. She would be crazy to want to be with a guy like me."

 _"_ _I often thought the same. I have, over the lifetimes, come to terms with the arrangements that this particular fate forces upon me, and now you as well. It takes an extraordinary person to accept the sort of person you will become. You have many lifetimes of experience to draw from, and that will impact your preview over the years to follow. You do not have one single man's experience, but rather, a collaborative one. I am merely the one giving voice to those experiences…that being said, a heavy burden such as this should not be endured alone."_

"So, like what do you mean? I should get a girlfriend?"

 _"_ _What I mean, young man, is that like it or not, that is precisely what you are. A young man, with burdens and gifted wisdom that will age you far beyond your years. You should take great effort to do what you can to come to terms with the gravity of the situation. Make it easier to cope. If that means that you 'should get a girlfriend' as you so put it, then perhaps you should consider it."_

"She isn't going to say yes, you know that…right?"

 _"_ _That remains to be seen. If you want the truth, and not mere conjecture, I am not the one to speak to. You must find Ruby. Ask her yourself."_

"Yeah, and I'd just bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Oscar grumbled. "Perverted old fart…"

* * *

The days went by in agony. It was painful to see, not to mention experience, the awkward deliberations of a wayward teenage boy. He was younger than Ruby, and that was something Ozpin made sure to remind himself of. He continued to observe Oscar's embarrassed reactions to the girl. He couldn't have made his interest in her more clear unless he pulled the girl aside and simply kissed her….a rather deep desire of Oscar's recently that gave Ozpin far too many ideas.

He was not a complete master of this new body that housed him, and so, he was unable to satiate the desires that so drove him absolutely crazy. He had, on more than one occasion, needed to wrestle control away from the boy and drown himself in more than one freezing cold shower. When that ceased to be enough, he had taken to dealing with the matter with the help of the magazine that Ren had presented as an available option.

Still, it was not enough.

Ozpin could recall the touch of a woman's affections, and his heart ached when he realized, he would probably never experience Glynda's touch again. At least, not for a very long time. He could impart those memories to Oscar, but they were dear to him, and very personal, so he chose not to keep those precious moments to himself. Still, things could not go on like this, he needed more than what he had. He could feel that same loneliness in Oscar's soul too.

Oscar had probably always been lonely, and Ozpin had grown used to several decades of comfortable romance with a very attractive blonde woman. To be denied of those creature comforts confused Oscar greatly, because Ozpins desires were now infused with his.

Something had to be done, and Ozpin realized that the boy likely only needed someone to talk to. Like all young souls, a good talk or two with the girl would be enough to begin to curb his anxiety.

Ozpin found Ruby on her own one late night. The girl took to looking up at the stars often enough. Ozpin had always instructed Oscar to leave her alone in times like that. He had no way of knowing what Ruby was thinking, and had a vested interest in not setting off any emotions that may force her eyes to activate. They were ever so powerful, and ever so dangerous.

However, this night, he chose to take that risk while he had control of Oscar. It was easier to do while the boy was sleeping, and Ozpin took great care to ensure that Oscar's soul remained that way when he carefully approached Ruby. After all, this would not be an innocent gesture, and Ozpin knew that too.

He cleared his throat. His voice mingling eerily with Oscar's own. "I do hope that I'm not intruding."

Ruby looked over at him, long since used to seeing the professor wander around freely at night. It was the only time he could do what he wished while stuck inside Oscar's body, without the boy complaining about it. "Nah, I'm just thinking, that's all."

"Oh?" He asked innocently enough. "About what?"

"Just stuff." Ruby replied lightly, the casual shrug offering everything he needed to know.

"I see." Ozpin murmured before nodding. "Well, Ruby, if I may be so bold, it seems tonight is a night of reflection for both of us. It's one of the reasons I'm still awake."

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him.

His smile fell then. "Glynda, Vale, the upcoming times ahead." He murmured with a sigh. "Ruby, I won't trouble you with nonsense. That's not why I'm here. I simply wished for you to know, I can see your pain. I understand it. You choose to shoulder that pain on your own though. The others choose to do so together, but, I have never once seen you grieve among them. You always choose to do so, alone."

"I'm used to being alone." Ruby said, leaving it at that.

Ozpin had always thought to himself that if he were a younger man, he would have been quite taken with Summer Rose. She was just young enough to be out of his reach, and he was already happily involved with Glynda at the time of meeting with Ruby's mother. In the past few weeks, he thought the same of Ruby Rose. He felt, if he were a younger man, he would be quite taken with her…but he was not a younger man, and though the body he inhabited was young, Ruby didn't know him as such.

She identified him as an adult, a proud and powerful hunter. Her headmaster. She was his pupil, and she had not chosen to change the way she viewed him. She didn't banter with him the way she did her peers. Instead, she listened to him, just as she had always done. He couldn't take advantage of that, he didn't want to. Still, he didn't want to see her crying by herself, either. Even when she smiled, he knew she was in great pain. Even when she brushed her feeling aside, he knew she wept silently when no one looked.

"I wish I could say that it gets easier." Ozpin replied softly. "However, I think you and I both know, that's about as true as it is false."

"Yeah…"

"Confiding in others can help to ease the sting…for some, at least."

"It doesn't really matter if I talk about it or not." Ruby told him. "It won't bring them back. They're gone, that's just the way it is. I've accepted it."

"You're very much your mother's daughter, Ruby." Ozpin said. "I've always thought so. It's why I know you don't really believe a word of what just came out of your mouth. You haven't accepted it, because the pain is too much, and the reality is too cruel. To accept it, means you can accept others dying too…and that's the rationality you use to deny it."

"What makes you say that?"

"Your mother was the same. She would have run off too, if it meant being sure she was the next in line." Ozpin declared, reaching for Ruby's hand, holding it in his own. "She wouldn't stand to lose anyone. When she did, hell was to pay…it was that need for retribution that ultimately allowed for her demise. It's tragic that history repeats, but here you are, sorely ill-prepared to be out here, and yet seeking danger anyway. You are not like her in many ways, but in your reckless desire to protect those you care for, you are one in the same."

Ruby said nothing to this, then again, Ozpin supposed there was nothing for her to say. To make a comment one way or the other would do them no good, and she was well aware of her own self-destructive tendencies. He forced another smile, gently patting the back of her hand as he stood and began to walk away. "You should get some rest. I intend to ramp up your training quite a bit more in the coming days. I would suggest you conserve your energy."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ozpin worked them hard, leaving his students with aura that was mangled and worn. He sighed, expecting no less, especially not against his personal expertise. While Oscar's aura was limited, Ozpin knew precisely what to do with it, at just the correct time. He would have liked a larger pool to draw from, but considered it training too, in a way, learning to master such a young and agile body once more. Oscar's strength would rest firmly in not taking hits, but out maneuvering them.

This was fine and dandy, not exactly Ozpin's most desired method of combat, but certainly not the worst he could think of. He coughed into his hand as he witnessed his students shaking themselves off. "That will do for today, everyone."

"It should." Nora said, quaking on her hands and knees. "We've been at this for nearly twelve hours."

"Nora…don't provoke him." Ren placidly begged as he helped her onto her feet, the two of them completely defeated and feeling no more powerful for it. "Jaune….Jaune…."

The blond haired man gave his teammate a thumb's up, and nothing else, his hand falling limply back into the dirt pile upon which he landed.

"I'll get him." Ruby said, somewhat better off. Her training with her uncle made her used to insanely long days with no rest. Even though she was incredibly exhausted, she was used to following around an experienced hunter. She could tell that Ozpin's training style and Qrow's were not too vastly difference. A focus on endurance and gruel punishments doled out at the slightest mistake made them aggressive teachers. "You okay, Jaune?"

"I've been better." He grumbled. "How are you not dead on your feet?"

"Because we're only halfway done." Ruby said, shooting Ozpin a knowing look. "We're coming back out here after dinner, aren't we?"

"A very astute assumptions, and very correct indeed." Ozpin replied. "We will be training into the night, so I expect great efforts from all of you."

Jaune only shook his head as Ruby dragged him along, "How did you even know that…"

At this, Ruby only laughed. "How do you think you think I got into Beacon? It wasn't just a whole lot of luck. I've done this kind of training before…it's just that the kid gloves were on before."

"Kid gloves?" Jaune laughed exhaustedly, he was too tired to even think about what that meant. With the way Ruby smirked at him, he doubted she would ever tell.

Dinner was a sorry affair, a meal ready to eat providing very little comfort. Ruby ate quietly at the side of her makeshift team, thinking to herself once again that she didn't belong among them. That she couldn't take Pyrrha's place. Even though she had been welcomed with open arms, and they all treated her very well, she could feel it. Her very place among them implied the sad truth. Their four man family had been reduced to three in the literal blink of an eye, and Ruby's entire team had split up completely.

Ruby didn't believe in mental conditioning, but she couldn't deny that they had all become slightly more cynical people because of the fight at Beacon.

She stirred the food in her packet. It was meant to be some type of stew, but it tasted like garbage, and looked even worse. There was no morale to be had, and Ruby supposed Ozpin was trying to break them. Her uncle had once done something similar in the forests near patch. A solid week of crappy food, piss warm water, and being worn into the ground. Ruby remembered not understanding the man's shift in attitude, treating her like a little recruit than his niece. She refuted his training, crying over his heavy hand and gruff treatment.

The answer soon came to her, however, when at the end of the week he pointed her words a pack of Grimm and left her there to her own devices. She was hardly ready, and could have almost died. In fact, she was sure if he hadn't been there to watch her, she would have. The hard lesson came to her when she was disarmed, and he had to save her. Then, he told her told her he loved her. That he didn't want to see her get hurt. That he was so hard on her, because he cared too damn much to see her left bleeding in the snow.

If she wanted to use a scythe, she would have to be willing to stand on her uncle's level, taking his training to heart. She did, and it was because of that training that she made it into Beacon.

As she forced the crappy tasting food down her gullet, she suspected this mentality would be the same. If she wanted to live as a huntress, she would have to meet Ozpin's standard, taking his brutal training without complaint.

"I just don't get why we have to go through another twelve hours back to back." Oscar said, breaking Ruby's concentration as he exhaustedly argued with the man inside his head.

"You want to know?" Ruby asked, crumpling up her empty packet and tossing it into the trash can.

He nodded, and Ruby looked outside.

"Well, it'll be easier to show you." She told him, gulping down the rest of her water. "Grab your gear, and meet me out back. I'll show you why."

He scrambled to clean up his area, grab the walking stick resting on the table, and chase after Ruby. She wasn't slow about the matter, hardly waiting up for him as he began to get confused. It was dark back there with no lights, and Ruby shoved him deeper into the wooded area. The trees were thick, and he couldn't see around him very well at all. The forest floor might have been a black sea of dangers for all he knew.

She pushed him a little further before stopping. "Okay, what do you see?"

Oscar looked around. "Shadows…I guess. A couple of trees…you, a little bit. That's about it."

"It's not good enough." She said, giving him another shove, hearing him stumbled, and watching his shadowy figure fall over the nearby log. "Do you understand now?" She asked, extending her hand. "We're human, not Faunus. The nighttime Grimm can either see in the dark like Faunus can, or they don't need to see to have the advantage. They're nocturnal Grimm for a reason. We have to get used to fighting in low light, or we're as good as dead."

He felt around for her hand, taking it, and stumbling forward as she pulled him up. Under the low light of the broken moon, he couldn't see her very well, but what he could see of her he found captivating. Feeling guilty all over again he pulled away, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'm just an idiot, aren't I?"

"No, you're not an idiot." Ruby said as she stretched in place, looking back towards the house, "You're a farmhand. Learning a whole new way of life takes time, right? So, take the time." She began to walk slowly, only picking up her pace when she heard him following behind. When they returned to the back yard, she pulled out her scythe. "Ready for a little warm-up before the others join us?"

Oscar cringed, but nodded. "Yeah." He said nervously. "Okay..."

* * *

The night of training was a long one, and Ozpin worked them all very hard once the team assembled outside for another twelve hour battle workshop, the dark making it all the more difficult. His handling made Goodwitch seem tame by comparison, and by the time they were done, everyone had been awake for almost thirty-five consecutive hours. Exhausted and hyper aware of their surroundings, Ozpin dismissed his students, watching as they all sluggishly headed for their bedrooms, instead of stopping by the kitchen to eat.

He too, headed for his room, choosing to lay down and release Oscar back out into the world only to notice the lad could no longer stand. He fell limply onto the bed and passed out. Ozpin too, feeling the fatigue of battle decided to allow his vessel to rest.

His thoughts drifted aimlessly. Ozpin himself didn't actually require sleep. His thoughts active even while Oscar dreamed. Sometimes, to pass the hours by, he watched those dreams. Others, he composed himself with careful, meditative, reflection. It didn't work to his liking as of late, as his mind drifted to the woman he loved. Wishing he could, even if just for a moment, gaze upon her once again. Feel her in his arms, and enjoy her affections jut as he had always done. He wanted the simple gestures, the little things she used to do to make his day easier, and he longed for the roll of her eyes that she offered when he became too much.

Their relationship was professional when it needed to be, passionate in the times that it could be nothing else, and that duality appealed to Glynda's standoffish nature. It was a bittersweet truth really, just how much she cared for him, and how much he returned those unspoken confessions. They loved each other, but, had said it too rarely. He wished he could go back and say it every day. He knew she would find it exhausting, but, those words were so fleeting now. He longed to hear them from her lips, knowing he couldn't.

Hours passed as he took the time to muse on all of the things he'd done wrong. The door opened though, and he pulled his consciousness to the surface, seeing Ruby standing there with a mug of coffee. He sat up, looking at her expectantly as she set it on his bedside table before walking across the room to sit on her uncle's bed. "I couldn't sleep." She said. "I tried, but, I just couldn't sleep."

At this, he offered only a kind smile. His voice that same eerie echo it always was. "I see." He could tell she had something else to say, but he wouldn't press for it.

She seemed thoughtful, biting on her lip in a way and drew back old memories. He had seen such a thoughtful expression before many times, over several generations. The Rose line was an uncanny one, and he had dealings with the bloodline for quite some time. The first of the bloodline he had come across was an elderly man with three sons and three daughters. He had many grandchildren to speak of because of that, and several chose to fight in the wars that burned across Remnant.

Those children grew up and had children of their own. Yet, those children were not quite so fruitful. People had begun having less children, and the next generation of the Rose bloodline suffered for it. Then next after that had fewer still. Time went on that way, and Ruby's bloodline had almost come to a complete end. In fact, she was the last of her particular bloodline, and Ozpin somewhat feared that she would not go on to produce children of her own. It would be a tragedy for that to be the case, but he didn't voice that.

Instead, he kept his smile kind, and continued to wait for her to gather her thoughts.

"Do…do you think I'm cut out to be a huntress?" She finally asked. The weight of her question dragging heavily in her voice.

"I suppose that depends on why you ask." Ozpin replied simply. He sipped at his coffee, finding it exactly the way he liked it. Then again, he did have something of a sweet tooth he didn't speak of, and he suspected that had something to do with his delight to find that she added plenty of sugar. "Do you feel as though you've made an error in coming out this far?"

"I don't know." Ruby said, shrugging awkwardly.

Ozpin withheld the smirk trying to show itself. He had to remind himself of just how young she was, one of the youngest students he had ever taken on, most certainly the youngest ever admitted into Beacon. It had been an insane notion at the time, made only possible because the man had twisted enough people's arms about the matter that they overlooked her age.

"Hmm, well, what makes you question it?" He asked.

"I don't regret leaving patch, but, I don't know if it was the right thing to do, either. General Ironwood once told me that he thought taking action was a good thing. I thought so too. It's just that, if my uncle hadn't been following us on the way here, we could have died. How many times did he clean up our messes that he didn't tell us about?"

"Well," Ozpin paused, sipping from his mug again. "You're only students. No matter your skill, to embark on the journey you went on was a choice that should have promised death. That you all survived this far, I believe that speaks a great deal of your abilities. Assisted by your uncle or not, I don't believe that matters."

"Yeah, but I got in my uncle's way…he got poisoned because of me."

"Perhaps." Ozpin shrugged. "Perhaps not. Maybe, he would have been poisoned anyway. Maybe, he would have died a lonely, pitiful, death unbeknownst to the rest of us. Perhaps because you were there, he survived."

"I wish I could believe that." She said honestly, her voice light and gentle, in spite of the dark honesty placed openly in front of him. "I want to, but…" She shrugged.

"To answer your question, I believe you are indeed meant to be here. I also believe there is great strength in numbers, provided that people involved know their limitations." He looked over to her and made a decision, still unsure if what he was doing was the correct thing to do or not. "We are not infallible, above imperfection, or below our greatest aspirations. We are simply mortals, myself included. We are bound by those truths, always. What you do, is up to you."

Ruby nodded. "They weren't there when Pyrrha died. I don't know if that's a blessing for them, or a curse."

"It doesn't have to be either one, or it could be both." Ozpin told her softly. "At the end of the day, it's just the way things happened. It's just history now, it doesn't have to be defined as anything else."

"Yeah, I know you're right." She nodded. "It's just hard to think of it that way. If I had gotten there just a little sooner…"

He would help Oscar court her, he decided.

She was magnificent, uncanny, and easy on the eyes. Ruby Rose wasn't a daft person, if he made his intentions clear, she would pick up on them. She could make the choice from there. If she accepted, the relationship would be complicated. After all, the body he inhabited housed its own soul, and Oscar was his own person too. Even though in his personal opinion, Ruby was everything a young lover should be, that didn't promise compatibility.

She would have to share her emotions, her affections, and eventually her body with two completely different people. One seasoned, one not. One a sinner, and one who was thus far, innocent. One with the heart of a lad, and one with the heart of a man. Still, Oscar seemed to have taken quite a liking to her, and in his own musing on the matter, Ozpin counted that as a good thing.

He hadn't made the decision lightly, even though the stirrings in the boy's body promised him endless frustration of all sorts. Youthful curiosity being what it was, there was only so much Ozpin could take of Oscar's dallying around. The boy was shy, easily ashamed of what he felt was shortcomings in his disposition, and just timid enough not to voice his feelings to Ruby on his own.

This was a perfect time for Ozpin to take control of the matter.

She was open to him, feeding off of his words, looking to him for advice. Trusting him. That trust, would be of utmost important, and he would need to treat it with great care if he ever hoped not to harm her. He stood from his bed and quietly moved to the other side. He took her hand into his own. The repeated action, a new commonality he hoped to repeat often. Small movements, gentle platonic touches. Acts that she could take of them what she would, and no more than that.

He would work slowly with her, treading lightly on the glass house that her heart had obviously become. It was the least he could do.

"You did the best that you could do, Ruby." He said as gently as possible. "That was the only thing anyone could ask of you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

A high pitched yell of terror burned from Oscar's throat when he ran fleeing from the living room one fateful afternoon. Nora was prancing around completely naked in the warm rain pouring from the sky in sheets, her bare butt on display for all to see. The men on her team had fortified themselves against her lunacy. Keeping well away from the windows, they mostly ignored her.

To his credit, Ren had told her to put on some clothes, only to get scolded for peeping in the first place. Jaune simply pretended it wasn't happening at all, and pointedly buried his nose in his studies. They were used to the impulsiveness that surrounded Nora by this point, and knew that taking the path of least resistance would end it quicker than giving her something to fight about.

Ruby, who was also used to the absurdity that went on in the women's showers rolled her eyes. She looked up from her puzzle momentarily to see what the ruckus was, then she snickered, and returned back to it. "Oscar, she's out of sight, back behind the fence. You can come out now."

"Why was she naked to begin with?!" Oscar blustered, frazzled beyond belief as he peeked out from behind the sliding door, very willing to go back into hiding at the first sign of trouble.

"Oh, who knows." Jaune said, offering a pitying gaze. "It's Nora, I wouldn't ask questions like that. You probably won't get an answer."

"She's probably just blowing off a little steam." Ren replied with his usual calm tone, settling himself in for some meditation. Legs crossed, eyes closed. "There's nothing quite like taking a shower out in the rain. It's refreshing, and when you spend so much time on the road like we have, you get used to it."

"Better than the streams." Jaune grumbled to himself thoughtfully. "Really though, I've said it before, I'll say it again. Nothing beats a hot shower, in an actual bathroom, with a door that locks."

"I don't know..." Ruby pondered aloud. If there wasn't so many people around, she might have been inclined to follow Nora outside with a washcloth and shampoo. "I mean, obviously it's more private, but when you get used to the wilderness, it feels weird to have a house again. I do like having a bathtub again though, that part is amazing."

"She really shouldn't be out there." Jaune protested. "We're in the city."

"Well, it's not as if she can be arrested for indecent exposure." Ren replied, thinking back to his time as a youth. He and Nora had grown up traveling along with the caravans that passed the village by. "The practices around here reflect the large nomadic groups that use the paths to distribute goods. Then there are a few hidden villages that are hunter villages specifically, and they don't take too kindly to being told what to do either. That, along with the summer heat, and people here are rather lax. At least when it comes to the naked form of a person. That being said, I wouldn't go around insulting the religiously inclined, though."

"Well, whatever her reason is, just be glad Yang's not here." Ruby said in passing. "They used to get into water fights at Beacon. If you want a sight to behold, get my sister's hair wet after she's just spent over an hour drying it."

"Don't know how you can fight with rain." Jaune said offhandedly.

"There's a hose out back. They'd find a way." Ruby said, having noticed it a few time during training. "Anyway, I'm kind of surprised we're not running drills in the mud right now."

"I'm thankful. We need the rest." Ren said, eyes closing in meditation. "You train too hard, Ruby." He said softly. "I've always thought so."

"What do you mean?" She asked, a piece of blue sky in her hand as she looked for where it should be placed. Having no luck, her gaze returned to Ren. "I wasn't in the training rooms half as much as everyone else."

"People train in many ways, and you devoted your time almost exclusively on your team. Studying with Weiss, trying to keep up with Yang's workouts, those special adventures with Blake. You never did say what those entailed, but you would all come back exhausted from them." He opened his eyes and stretched lazily. "When I think of it, you never really took the time to relax until you were dead on your feet."

"Oh, that stuff. I didn't really have a choice, especially with Blake's hobby...if you really want to call it that." Ruby glanced to Oscar and pointedly cleared her throat. She didn't know what Ozpin knew about those days, and what he didn't. Without risking anything further, she resumed her puzzle. Against her will, her mind began drifting to her teammates, wondering what exactly they were doing, and why.

Her heart squeezed tightly when she took the time to consider the shambles she knew of when it came to her sister. She had no way of knowing how Weiss or Blake were doing. Ruby had to hope they were alright, that they were still breathing and working hard to get to where they needed to be. Cynically she reminded herself that she had no idea where those places happened to be in the first place.

She refused to think she had made a large enough impact on Blake or Weiss to become their top priority. Yang had other goals too, and Ruby was sure her sister needed to address them. Suddenly the puzzle became too much, and she left it upon the table, abandoned. "I'm going to go for a walk."

She didn't elaborate, her speed and her scythe the only qualifications she deemed she needed as she burst through the front door and slammed it closed behind her. She needed space, and as the rain plopped heavily around her, she began to walk. The task was aimless really, she had no place to go, and no set time limits she planned to be out for. She smirked at the darker murmurs in her mind.

She could go back out into the forests if she really wanted. Leave and never come back.

She could be a traveling vagabond for the rest of her days…even if she wasn't quite sure she would survive many days at all. Not on her own. Not without other people. Sure, she had never been a social butterfly, but she liked to think she had once carved a place for herself among her peers. Made herself known, became memorable. She wondered idly, would people take the time to remember her fondly if she died? Or would she just be another nameless huntress taken far too soon?

Being forgotten about was less tragic, she decided. At least then, no one would carry around any guilt. They wouldn't be like her, feeling as though there was so much she could be blamed for. As a team's former leader, she could have done better a lot of the time. Hell, she should have. Blake had been right, Ruby decided. In the safety of Beacon, she really had been just a child. She acted like one, going through the motions of training to be a huntress, but never taking critical stock of her position.

No, that was something only too much failure could do, and, certainly, Ruby had failed. They all did, to some degree or another. It wouldn't be the last time she would colossally screw up, either. That was a given, she knew that now.

"If you could go back to that night and do one thing differently, what would you do, and why?"

Ruby nearly jumped out of her skin as Ozpin spoke from behind her, startling her in a flurry of rose petals. She drew her weapon open him. It was only when the blade was poised to strike that she even realized it was friend who spoke to her, not foe.

"No offense." She sighed as she put away her weapon. "That's kind of a stupid question."

"Really?" Ozpin asked. "How so?"

"How could I pick just one thing?" Ruby asked in return. "When everything goes to hell at once, how can you just pick one thing?"

"The question you must answer, is how can you best live with the actions you will inevitably take." Ozpin said slowly, carefully, and to great length. Droning the words out, as if to make them feel less burdensome. "Sometimes, it comes down to a series of choices. Sometimes, you can save them all. Sometimes, you cannot save a soul. Assuming you could make a choice and choose one, would you?"

"If you're asking me to choose between Penny and Pyrrha, that's kind of insulting." Ruby huffed, shaking the rain water off of her head and out of her eyes. "I'd never be able to choose."

At this, he cocked his head to the side. "If inaction would ultimately end them both again, you would choose that outcome?"

"No!" Ruby protested. "Of course not, but you can't just ask me to pick and choose. It's like if you ask who's more important to me, Weiss or Blake. You can't expect me to give you an answer. They're my friends, and they're on an equal level."

"Weiss and Yang, then." Ozpin offered. "Your partner, or your sister?"

"That's a rigged question."

"Is it now?"

Agitated, Ruby wondered why he was so interested in such morbid things. "If it all comes down to picking one or the other, then Yang probably can't be saved. If she could fight me at all on that, she probably would." Ruby murmured. "Besides, I know my sister, she would never forgive me if I let someone else die because I tried to save her. That's not how Yang thinks. She's not that kind of selfish person."

"I see." Ozpin sighed as he studied the young woman in front of him. "That's quite the interesting notion, in it's own way."

"It's not like you can ask that and get a real answer, anyway." Ruby shrugged, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she started walking away.

* * *

 _"_ _There, you see?"_ Ozpin told the boy he inhabited as he handed control back over to him. _"Her burdens trouble her greatly. As enamored with her as you are, you should understand by now that Ruby Rose is not the sort of girl you fawn over carelessly. She goes to great efforts for the people she cares about, and unless you intend to maintain a spot of importance in her life, you should give up now."_

"Don't you think I know that?" Oscar groused.

 _"_ _I think you fail to understand your position in all of this. A young man such as yourself has a long way to go before he can consider himself a person that can truly be relied on. However, Ruby is such a person that requires that safe space. She has none, you know."_

"She's way better off than me." Oscar said, turning to go back to the house. He wasn't going to bother her when Ruby clearly wanted to be on her own. "I'm just some loser who got tangled up in all of this."

 _"_ _By that logic, we're all just losers who got tangled up in this. Putting yourself down, getting lost in grief, those things are easy to do. If you cannot ask yourself the hard questions, then you cannot begin to find answers for them."_

"She answered you. Shut up already."

 _"_ _You're failing to see my point."_

"I see it, I get it, I just don't care." Oscar refuted.

At this, Ozpin seemed to sigh. _"Oscar, she has asked herself these questions. She has made for herself the answers that she can, and continues to question what she cannot. She has drawn these conclusions because that was the ultimatum for moving forward. Yet, she has not healed, you see this as plainly as I do. Although you know all of that, you still fail to take into your own hands the matters which you can. You do not act, because action can be painful…but, as you've seen, inaction, even accidental inaction, can hurt far, far worse."_

Oscar smacked his own forehead, as if that might silence the voice in his head. "So, what do you want me to do, exactly?"

 _"That is for you to decide. However, if I were you, I would strongly consider taking action. It doesn't need to be sort of sort of grandiose gesture, it just has to be something."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The bitter taste washed over his tongue. Shuttering, he nearly gagged. "How can anyone drink this stuff?" Oscar asked, spitting his aggravated question out into the air. Propriety prevented him from spitting the actual coffee. It tasted terrible, at least in his personal opinion. He never had a fancy for the sludge, and hated when Ozpin insisted on drinking it. That the man in his brain would even suggest taking some to Ruby seemed like a terrible idea. "She's going to hate this, or die trying to drink it."

 _"_ _Trust me, you dislike it now, but you'll change your tune one day. You grow a fondness for coffee while living our lifestyle. It's warm, easy to prepare, the grounds rarely go bad when stored properly in a tin. There is plenty to like about it."_

"Probably because you crazy people starve yourselves on the road. Even dirt tastes good when there's nothing else there." He said pouring his cup down the drain. "Actually, that's probably just an insult to the dirt."

 _"_ _Be that as it may, I was enjoying that…"_

"Then drink it when I'm asleep." Oscar groused. "I'm not putting any more of that crap in my mouth willingly."

 _"_ _Fine, just remember to add sugar to Ruby's cup. Quite a good deal of it, too. She likes her drinks to be sweet."_

"Oh, make it into even more of a slurry. Great." He did as he was told, adding spoonful after spoonful until Ozpin told him to stop. The muddy brown colored liquid in the mug looked undrinkable. He took a careful sniff, smelling only the milk and the sugar, with only a hint of the coffee. "There's no way she's going to want to drink this…I'd hesitate to even call it coffee."

 _"_ _In her case, that's the point, I presume. Well, not that it matters. It's the intent of the matter that counts. I would have told you to make breakfast to go along with it, if I thought you'd stand a chance over an open burner."_

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, meddlesome old fart."

 _"_ _I doubt you'd survive a full meal alone with her. However, a morning beverage, when she's less talkative and more interested in companionship, that's doable."_ Ozpin replied slowly. " _When choosing to woo a chosen lady, the first thing you must do is ascertain her preferences. Remember, Oscar, if you won't outright ask for her affection, you have to gain her affection in other ways. That means you have to comply with Ruby's whims and learn what she likes, and when she likes it."_

"And doing this helps me do that how exactly?"

 _"_ _Just take the bloody coffee to the woman, for heaven's sake."_ Ozpin muttered in a tone of voice that indicated he was tired of trying to explain away the details.

"If you like it so much, why don't you do this?"

 _"_ _Because unlike you, I'm not the one so enamored with the girl."_

"Oh, yeah, like you haven't thought about it. I know what you do with that magazine…"

 _"_ _Oscar, think critically for a moment, if you would. Given how vivid I can make your memories, don't you think I have enough dalliances in my collective consciousness to keep myself entertained for eternity?"_ Ozpin asked slowly. _"If I wanted a woman's attention, I certainly know how to get it…and if I simply wanted for sex, Ruby Rose would not be the first option I would think to choose. Not when there are rather unscrupulous brothels all over the place."_

"You're completely sick!"

 _"_ _And you're acting like a coward over a completely innocent gesture. This isn't about my connection with Ruby, this is about your connection with Ruby. It's important to make that distinction."_ Ozpin retorted, more annoyed than he wanted to let on. _"Now get going, before the drink cools."_

"Alright, alright, I'm going."

* * *

Oscar Found Ruby around the side of the house, splitting logs in half for the fireplace. At first he didn't know what to say, but finally he settled on the one thing he knew they shared in common.

 _"See, there she is, now remember to conduct yourself like a gentleman."_

"Shut up." Oscar grumbled, causing Ruby to perk up.

"Oh, good morning." She told him cheerily as she turned around to pick up some more pieces of splintered wood. "I didn't think anyone else would be up yet."

"Ozpin got me up early. There's more training today." Oscar said to get her attention as she was picking up the pieces and stacking them. "Maybe you shouldn't overdo it."

"I've been chopping wood ever since I was strong enough to lift the axe back at home." How old was she back then? Nine? Ten? "I consider this training too." Thinking back, she couldn't remember exactly.

Instead, she recalled how amazing it felt to finally be able to split her first piece of lumber without help. She'd been so tired afterward. Amazed that Yang could do such work for hours on end without even breaking a sweat. It wasn't until Ruby was older that she began to understand the sort of stamina a hunter put to use. They were just old memories now, fond ones, even if little else.

"Well, take a break at least." He said then, holding out the tray in offering. Two cookies sitting on the plate would hopefully seal the deal. "I made you some coffee, why don't you drink it and let me finish off the wood." He said to her. "Around here, it's probably one of the only things I'm actually good at."

"Let me guess." she said, allowing him to take the axe. "Once a farmhand, always a farmhand…"

"Yeah, it's something like that."

He watched her take a sip of the drink before taking over her previous task. A sort of silence falling over them. Comfortable, yet somewhat heavy.

 _"Well, aren't you going to say something?"_ Ozpin sighed at length, his slight annoyance known.

Oscar mentally shrugged. He didn't know what else to say to Ruby, and doubted that anything he wanted to say might be of interest to her. Instead, he just quietly continued to work, thinking that if Ruby was at all interested in him, she might say something to indicate that. The moments drifted on by, and soon he began to feel edgy.

"You're not very good around people, are you?" Ruby finally asked.

He couldn't admit that without taking a blow to his ego, so he merely deflected. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh, nothing really. It's just the impression that I get." She looked down into her mug, it was made just the way she liked it. "It's one of those been there, done that, sort of things." Then again, he'd watch her prepare coffee many times before. In fact, he always seemed to be watching her. "I used to be like you once…awkward, shy…maybe a little standoffish. I didn't like dealing with people outside of my family."

"What made you change?" He asked distantly, removing himself entirely from that analogy.

"There's a list." Ruby shrugged as she set her mug off to the side and pulled her cloak tightly around herself. She'd often wonder what a shy boy might be like, never thinking she would actually run into one as a comrade. "The strange thing is, if you asked me to voice it out loud, I probably wouldn't be able to. I don't even know where that list starts and where it ends."

"Why not?"

"I don't really know how to explain it." Ruby said with a shrug. "I feel different, but I know deep down I'm really not. In spite of everything, I'm the same as I was back then. I'm still shy, I'm still awkward, I still screw up all the time, and I still want to be a huntress. I just know how to deal with those things better now. You're not very outgoing though, and it reminded me of myself...so I wondered why."

"It just the way I am." He said offhandedly. "It wasn't like I grew up with a lot of people around. The farm was huge, and the distance between my house and the village was long enough to keep me away. We would get visitors, but they were mostly there to see my aunt." He explained finishing off the rest of the wood and stacking it in a final pile. "I didn't have many friends. I didn't need them."

"Everyone needs friends."

"No." Oscar sighed. "I really didn't. I still kind of don't." He said, pointed to his head as a way of an explanation. "Things were easier back home, and a whole lot less stressful before your headmaster made himself comfortable in my brain."

Ruby could only laugh at that. "You hate it here, don't you?"

"Well, it's not like I asked for any of this to happen." He murmured. "Hate might be too strong a word though." That hadn't been her question, but he was still trying to figure out the answer himself. He didn't hate being around these people. He didn't mind the hard training that he faced every single day. There were some grievances he had about a particular man taking residence in his head, but those could hardly be spoken out loud, or aimed at Ruby. "Let's just say, I'm not one for adventure."

"That might be true." Ruby said with a soft laugh. "But you came along anyway. Doesn't that say something about yourself too?"

"I don't know, maybe that I'm crazy?"

"Maybe." Ruby shrugged. "Or, maybe not. You came all this way because you chose to. Uncle Qrow didn't drag you around by the scruff of the neck, although he probably would have if he needed to...but that's not the point." Ruby's cheek pinked at that as she looked down into her mug. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, whatever your reason was, you're here now. That's what matters, and you can't lose sight of that. If you do, you'll just keep asking yourself a lot of questions you really don't want to find the answers for."

"You mean like the ones you did?" Oscar wondered if he crossed a line that time when Ruby didn't say anything. He forced himself to meet her gaze, intense though it seemed to be. Her scrutiny was trained on him in a way it had never quite been before. The emotion wasn't one he could put his finger on. Not sadness, not anger, but something else completely.

"No, the ones you're asking about, those are unavoidable." Ruby said to him then as she gathered everything up. "I meant other stuff."

"What kind of other stuff?"

At that Ruby let loose a small little sound of amusement. Even so, it was there all the same. "The kind of stuff you don't think about until you spend one too many nights looking up at the stars alone. If you can't figure it out based on that, give yourself a year or two as a hunter. You'll figure it out by then..."


End file.
